---
title: Frequently Asked Questions
---
<h1>FAQ</h1>

<h3>Software</h3>

<p><i>In Ubuntu 10.4, goodfet.bsl crashes randomly.</i><br/>  Kenneth
Finnegan describes the
problem <a href="http://kennethfinnegan.blogspot.com/2010/12/soldering-goodfet-31.html#software">in
this article</a>.  The jist is that a bad udev rule makes the
GoodFET's FT232 chip look like a power management device, which upowerd
then grabs hold of.  The fix is to delete the udev rule in /lib/udev/rules.d/95-upower-wup.rules.</p>

<p><i>Is there a standalone version for Windows?</i><br/>
Yes, but it is rather old, as no one in the development team uses
Windows.  Please get in touch if you would like to help automate
py2exe builds for us.
Download <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/goodfet/files/">GFWin.zip</a>
and be sure that you have
the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9b2da534-3e03-4391-8a4d-074b9f2bc1bf&displaylang=en">Visual
Studio Redistribution Package</a>.
</p>

<p><i>Will the client run on my operating system?</i><br/>

While the software is developed in unix, you ought to be able to run
it under Windows with Cygwin and Python.  Linux, OpenBSD, and OS X are
well supported.  There is also an experimental QT-Quick GUI for Meego.
</p>

<p><i>Which python packages are required?</i><br/>
<a href="http://pyserial.sourceforge.net/">python-serial</a>, <a href="http://code.google.com/p/pysqlite/">python-sqlite</a></p>

<p><i>Where do I get MSPGCC?</i><br/>  A good build script is
available at <a href="http://mspgcc4.sourceforge.net/">MSPGCC4</a>.
Compatibility is maintained with MSPGCC3, but all present development
is performed in version 4.  Be sure to build without Insight, and feel
free to omit GDB if you don't need it.</p>

<p><i>Can I install the firmware without MSPGCC?</i><br/>
Sure.  'goodfet.bsl --fromweb' will download the most recent firmware from
the website.  If you are working with special platforms like the Next Hope Badge,
Facedancer or the Telos B, you will need to specify the board environment variable.
'board=facedancer20 goodfet.bsl --fromweb' should do the trick if you are
programming a facedancer20 board.
</p>


<h3>BSL</h3>

<p><i>What does ``Verb FF is wrong.  Incorrect firmware or bad Info guess?'' mean?</i><br/>
This is an older error that should no longer be seen.  Update to the latest client.
</p>

<h3>Hardware</h3>

<p><i>Which model do I want?</i><br/>
The <a href="/hardware/goodfet42">GoodFET42</a> is by far the best
model, but the <a href="/hardware/goodfet32">GoodFET32</a> is kept is
stock as it is easier to solder.  Boards can be obtained at little to
no cost as explained in the <a href="/orders/">Ordering
Information</a> page.</p>

<p>Adafruit sells
assembled <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/products/1279">GoodFET42
boards</a>.  At int3.cc, you can order
assembled <a href="http://int3.cc/collections/frontpage/products/facedancer21">Facedancer21</a>
boards for USB fuzzing and emulation.</p>

<p><i>Do I use a 47K pull-up resistor or a 74K resistor for the !RST line?</i><br/>
74K is a typo, but anything from 1K to 100K ought to work.  The !RST pull-up
resistor has been removed from recent models, and it can probably be omitted
in older models.</p>

<p><i>I would like a GoodFET, but I am unable to solder.  Will you send me an assembled
unit?</i><br/>
Unless you are willing to pay an absurd markup, it is best to build your own.  Bring
the components to your local <a href="http://hackerspaces.org">hackerspace</a>, and
ask a neighbor to help you out.</p>

<p><i>In the * BOM are the 0603 componentss imperial or metric?</i><br/>
These are imperial measurements.  0603 (0.063 in x 0.031 in) are equivalent
to 1608 metric (1.6mm x 0.8mm).</p>

<h3>Distribution</h3>

<p><i>What license does this project use?  Can I fork it, package it, or trade
it for battle umbrellas?</i><br/>
The GoodFET firmware and client software are 3-clause BSD licensed, and you are free to
redistribute anything in the GoodFET repository without any unneighborly
restrictions.</p>

<p><i>Where can I get the latest version of the code?</i><br/>
git clone https://github.com/travisgoodspeed/goodfet goodfet
</p>

<p><i>Is a zip archive available that's just a little more stable</i><br/>
Periodically, releases are made among the <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/goodfet/files/">Sourceforge Files</a>.
</p>

<h3>Ordering</h3>

<p><i>How can I order a GoodFET?</i><br/>
Pre-assembled boards are not available, but you can get PCBs from our
<a href="/orders/">ordering</a> page and solder them yourself.</p>


<h3>Development</h3>

<p><i>Would you like patches for the $foo architecture?</i><br/>
Yes!  Email travis at radiantmachines.com or join us in #goodfet
on Freenode to discuss it.</p>

<p><i>Will you write support for $foo?</i><br/>
There's a long queue of chips to support.  Getting pushed to the front
won't be easy.</p>

<p><i>Who builds the GoodFET?</i><br/>  The project was begun
by <a href="http://travisgoodspeed.blogspot.com/">Travis Goodspeed</a>
in early 2009.  Other neighbors contribute regularly.</p>

<p><i>Can the firmware be ported?</i><br/>  Yes.  Ports are underway
for the <a href="http://zolertia.sourceforge.net/">Zolertia Z1</a>,
Telos B, and other MSP430 devices.  In the longer term, a port is
planned to the Chipcon 8051 radios.</p>

